Applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,973 which issued Jul. 31, 1979 to Lynch for a water polishing system. Lynch discloses pumping waste water continuously through a self-contained separating or polishing system to remove pollutants. Suspended solids are removed by mechanical filtration and emulsified oil is separated by coalescing the oil into floatable droplets which may then be skimmed from the surface of the water. Various three-way valves are employed in the operation of the system. The system includes a surge tank or other reservoir and a coalescing and outlet chamber containing a coalescing and oil accumulation sub-chamber, a weir sub-chamber and a clean water sub-chamber. Oil coalescers are mounted in-line at the water inlet to the coalescing and oil accumulation sub-chamber. From the coalescing and oil accumulation sub-chamber, the water flow path is directed under a baffle between the coalescing and oil accumulation sub-chamber and the weir sub-chamber. Water passes through the weir sub-chamber and over a baffle wall into the clean water sub-chamber from which the water exits through an outlet.
What is neither taught nor suggested is the simplified structure of the present invention wherein the separate surge tank and coalescing and outlet chambers of Lynch may be combined into a simplified portable structure wherein a first upstream reservoir chamber provides for surge settling and mechanical floatation separation of non-emulsified oil from the water flow, a second downstream coalescing chamber provides for removal of emulsified oil through a simplified in-line coalescing pack, and a third downstream outlet chamber is in downstream fluid communication with the coalescing chamber via a weir partition